New study shows video games are beneficial for students

Video games are good, actually

A new collaborative study by multiple universities has shown that video games can positively affect educational outcomes in students.

The study was conducted by the University of UNION and the University of Belgrade in Serbia, alongside the University of Hafr Al-Batin in Saudi Arabia and the Arab Open University in Kuwait. Students in a small Saudi Arabian university were the subjects of the study.

Originally reported by SegmentNext, the study aimed to measure the differences in academic performance between students who played games and students who did not.

Advertisement

Researchers then split the group of gaming students into heavy and non-heavy gamers. They then measured differences in academic performance between the two groups.

FIFA 21 is one of the most played video games in Saudi Arabia Credit: EA

The study found that students who spent equal time playing video games and studying still earned high academic grades. Researchers observed that many students adopted a ‘work hard, play hard’ mentality, rewarding themselves with gaming time for studying.

The paper, which you can view here, does not appear to have been peer-reviewed yet. Furthermore, the study seems to have been conducted on a relatively small number of individuals. Additional studies on a wider pool of students would help legitimise the claims.

Video games are one of the most common hobbies amongst students in Saudi Arabia. Spending time with a boyfriend or girlfriend is prohibited and there are limited opportunities for entertainment. Those factors likely had an exponential effect on the outcome. Therefore, further testing in other countries will need to be conducted.

Advertisement

Ubisoft has announced that it will cease support for older games like Far Cry 2 and Assassin’s Creed 2 in June this year.

The video game developer and publisher shared an updated list of online services on its website. It includes a new list of services being tendered starting in June this year.

You May Also Like

Advertisement

TRENDING

Advertisement

More Stories